British Airways passengers could be spared immediate disruption even if cabin crew vote for industrial action at the airline today.

It is understood that the Unite trade union will not announce lengthy walkouts if the result of a strike ballot, due this afternoon, returns a new mandate. Instead, the union is pondering a guerilla-style approach with work to rule protests among the tactics discussed in recent weeks. Nevertheless, Unite is expected to focus on calls for peace talks today.

BA's chief executive, Willie Walsh, has pledged to operate 100% of the airline's long-haul schedule at Heathrow, Gatwick and City airports, which would neutralise the effect of walkouts by staff.

Last year Unite-affiliated crew staged 22 days of walkouts in a dispute over staffing cuts and the state of industrial relations within BA, costing the airline around £150m. However, union sources have acknowledged that the dispute has entered a different phase, with BA able to call on thousands of volunteer cabin crew, including more than 500 pilots who have retrained as flight attendants.

Len McCluskey, who is replacing Tony Woodley as Unite's general secretary, is expected to call for more talks with BA, in a bid to thrash out a new peace deal after recent efforts were rejected by members. Walsh, who this weekend becomes chief executive of International Airlines Group, the product of the £5bn merger between BA and Spain's Iberia, has offered to stay involved in negotiations.

A BA spokeswoman said the airline had already made several proposals to end the dispute. "We have put forward very fair proposals that enable our existing Heathrow crew to remain the best rewarded in the UK airline industry," she said.

One of the biggest issues for Unite will be turnout, after just under eight out of ten members took part in a strike vote last year. BA has declined to resume talks until the outcome of the vote is known, leading some observers to speculate that the airline is waiting to see the strength of Unite's hand.